Cantonese Style Steamed Fish 粤式蒸鱼

When I first started in the kitchen, my first steaming self-taught lessons began with this Cantonese style of steaming. Probably the most classic way I am not exactly too sure, but on average eating in and out, I indeed have had this more than any other styles steaming can adopt. Steamed whole with ginger and spring onion and lightly bathed in a specially mixed light soy sauce, this gentle method of cooking works well in retaining the fish's tender and delicate texture. This is pretty much the very same version of steamed fish that I grew up having at home. So ultimately, this is exactly what I first intended and eventually attempted to learn and re-create in my own kitchen two years back. But honestly, the first couple of times were so meh. And as with many other things, making a steamed fish is definitely one that only gets better with experience. You adjust and readjust the sauce fine tuning it each time, you experiment with the steaming time until you can visualize well how it correlates with the size and especially the thickness of the fish and you then start perfecting it by regulating the heat locating the optimal point, and lastly finishing it with a refined garnishing. And when you have done enough wrongs and some rights, you will soon figure that you have got the steaming ABC right at your fingertips. 

Quoting from the post on the Steamed Fish with Ginger Puree 姜茸蒸鱼, "Regardless of which steaming styles with what kind of sauces you decided to adopt, they always do come back to the steaming basics - a real fresh fish to begin with, scale, clean and gut thoroughly, season and stuff, make a bed, set timer and steam, lift and transfer to a serving plate, pour prepared sauce over the fish, garnish and serve! Contrary to that precious essence we do always get with steaming a chicken, the pool of fish juice and the stuffing post-steaming is anything but good. Fishy and cloudy in appearance, having utilized them fully throughout the steaming process would have rendered them tasteless, flavorless and simply too unpleasant a sight when served alongside the fish. So yes, have them removed and always let the fresh fish start anew post steaming."

Cantonese Style Steamed Fish 粤式蒸鱼
Serves 2-3
1 whole pomfret fish (usually weighing about 1 to 1.5lb)
salt and white pepper powder
2 tbsps Shaoxing wine  
2 stalks spring onion (green parts only) sliced thinly lengthwise to make curls for garnishing 
1½ ginger. skin removed and julienned
a handful cilantro leaves for garnishing (optional)   
1½ tbsps cooking oil

Stuffing and bed
6 stalks of spring onion (just the white parts), cut into 3" to 4" sections, lightly crushed
3" ginger, cut into large chunks and crushed

Seasoning
2½ tbsps light soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp rock sugar
a dash of white pepper powder
a scant of salt
4 tbsps water 

1. Mix the ingredients for the seasoning in a small bowl. Transfer it to a small sauce pan and put on low heat to lightly heat up dissolving the sugar within. Leave heated on low until ready to be used later.   
2. Clean and gut the fish thoroughly. Pat dry and cut two slanting slits across the thicker part of the abdomen on each side, taking care not to cut right through. Season in and out with salt and white pepper powder. Stuff the fish cavity with half of the stuffing and leave aside while you prepare the bed.
3. Line the center of a steaming plate with the remaining of the stuffing. This will be the platform to which the fish will be resting on, at the same time making sure that the fish will not be bathed in the pool of fish juice that oozes out when put to steam later. Meanwhile, get the steamer ready with enough boiling water in it.
4. Lay the fish on the bed in the steaming plate. Pour in a tbsp of Shaoxing wine into the fish cavity, and another tbsp over the fish. 
5. Carefully place the steaming plate onto the steaming stand. Cover, set the alarm and turn the heat down to medium. I had my pomfret weighing at 1.4lb which needed about 12 minutes to be thoroughly done. Adjust the steaming time to your fish accordingly. 
6. Check if the fish is ready at 12mins - you can stick in a fork at the site with the thickest flesh. Flaky and separating well - it's done. Give it another minute or two otherwise.   
7. Remove from heat, remove the stuffing in the fish cavity and gently transfer to a clean serving plate. Spoon in the seasoning all over and around the fish.
8. Heat up a small skillet with the cooking oil. Add in the julienned ginger and let fry lightly until fragrant and slightly browned. Set aside the julienned ginger, leaving the oil behind to continue heating. Spread the ginger over the fish followed by the spring onion curls.
9. Finish by gently and carefully pouring the hot oil slowly along the length of the fish. Listen to the satisfying sizzling sound - it tells you (and me!) that you have at least got this part right. lol. Garnish with some cilantro leaves(optional) and serve hot.